Dozens Of Inmates To Be Released From Overcrowded Macomb County Jail

MT. CLEMENS (WWJ) - With more people than beds, dozens of inmates in Macomb County are going to be handed a "get out of jail free card" by the end of the day.

Authorities on Tuesday failed to meet a two-week deadline to end an overcrowding emergency at the jail and lower the inmate population back under capacity. In fact, according to the Macomb Daily, the inmate population has actually grown in that time span.

The jail has a maximum capacity of 1,193 inmates. When the emergency was declared, it was housing 1,218 inmates -- 25 over the limit. As of Tuesday afternoon, the jail population was at 1,260 -- 67 inmates over the limit, the newspaper reported.

The Circuit Court Chief Judge now has to has to finalize a list of inmates that will be released. Typically, that list includes inmates with non-violent crimes such as marijuana possession, driving offenses and disorderly conduct, as well as inmates scheduled to be released at the end of the month.

This is the third time in about two years an overcrowding emergency has been declared. The last emergency occurred in November 2014, when a judge ordered the early release of 71 inmates.